Quote of the month — settled already. Is there a better quote that journos SHOULD take out of context than this?  “I subsequently put it to former minister Brown late last night that there too many reports of you in your underwear for me to ignore,” Mr Rees said on Fairfax radio this morning. — Crikey reader Stephen Price

Esquire’s 75th Anniversary “E-Ink” Cover: Recyclable, Unmentionably Expensive: Using electronics from Shanghai that were shipped to Dallas before traveling by refrigerated truck (preserves battery life!) to Mexico for assembly and then heading north to a Kentucky printing facility, Esquire’s blinking 75th anniversary covers are hitting Borders, Barnes & Noble, and select newsstands this week. An “experimental limited-edition” of 100,000 copies of the magazine’s October 2008 issue feature an electronic ink (“E-Ink”) cover with a ten-square-inch digital display that blinks in moving letters “The 21st Century Begins Now”. — Unbeige, Mediabistro 

Brooke’s lame excuse. The biz was abuzz this week after Brooke Hanson was booted from Dancing With The Stars and, apparently, got blotto and neglected her promotional duties the morning after her exit; Seven seemed to be one step away from calling a search party to find the erstwhile athlete-turned-hoofer. Well, turns out our Brooke wasn’t stuck down a drain somewhere after calling Bert on the big white telephone — in fact, her telephone was kaput! — Defamer

Pass the nachos. Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim acquired a 6.4 percent stake in New York Times Co., making him the third-largest investor in the newspaper publisher outside of the controlling Sulzberger family. Slim and a family trust said they owned 9.1 million shares of New York Times as of Sept. 4, according to a regulatory filing today. They hadn’t previously reported a stake in the company, the third-largest U.S. newspaper publisher. — Bloomberg

Wendy’s goes viral. When it comes to fast-feeders, the quirky viral video has largely been the domain of Burger King. But square-burger marketer Wendy’s is trying to get the buzz headed its way with a new video called “Crazy Lettuce.” In the viral video “Crazy Lettuce,” a head of lettuce devours a Baconator sandwich. The viral concept was spun out of TV spots the shop created. In one, a man shuns a bite of salad offered by the woman across the table. — Adage

Vogue to pod. Vogue UK is introducing its first podcasts from this Sunday as part of its London Fashion Week coverage, including reports by Naomi Campbell, Erin O’Connor and exclusive coverage of Vivienne Westwood’s show. The Vogue.com editor, Dolly Jones, Vogue will present a 15-minute podcast from London Fashion Week shows each day with backstage reports, summaries and comment from high-profile designers, models and fashion celebrities. — The Guardian Media

Spam of the day: Ninety-year-old woman goes to college.